|
|
|
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
• Tim King writes about the Duchess on the move...
| |
| |
|
On 13th March 1975 LMS Pacific 6229 'Duchess of Hamilton' left Minehead hauled by class 25 diesel 25 059 and travelled slowly along the closed Minehead to Taunton branchline. The loco was en route to Swindon for restoration as part of the National Collection of historic locomotives in the care of the National Railway Museum.
The Duchess had been built for the LMS in 1938 and famously spent time in the USA. In 1964 new owner Billy Butlin arranged for her to be transported to his Minehead holiday camp along with LBSCR Terrier 32678 'Knowle'. The Duchess was hauled along the Minehead branch on 29th April 1964 by former GWR pannier 9647. On arrival at Minehead she was put on the turntable and then loaded on to a Pickford's transporter. The loco and tender had to be separated for turning due to the limited size of the Minehead turntable. This was the last time it was used before British Railways removed it. On the 7th May the Duchess was placed on a section of track on the west side of the the Butlin's site where she sat for the next 11 years, gently rusting in the salty sea air! She was joined by the Terrier which had travelled down the branch on a well wagon.
In the 1970's Butlins decided that the eight locomotives at their camps in Minehead, Ayr, Pwllheli and Skegness were no longer required as a tourist attraction and set about disposing of them to new owners. The extraction of the locomotives from the Minehead site presented a number of problems as the Minehead branch had officially closed in January 1971. However the track was still in situe as the fledgling West Somerset Railway Co. Ltd. was in negotiation to re-open the railway. There was a serious risk that the Duchess would have been cut up on site if the rail option for her removal had not been available. Transport by road was virtually impossible due to the low rail bridges and tortuous nature of the roads to Minehead.
On 6th March 1975 British Railways decided to send a class 25 diesel 25 225 on an exploratory mission into darkest West Somerset to ascertain the state of the track and see how overgrown it was. Fortunately volunteers from the West Somerset Railway Association had been out over the last few months with their saws and machetes and had cleared the worst of the vegetation, which had accumulated in the 4 years since closure. The loco arrived without incident at Minehead so arrangements were made to move the Duchess from Butlins on the back of a Sunters low-loader to the station. This tricky operation started on Sunday the 9th March and was completed the following Wednesday. The following day, Thursday the 13th, class 25 diesel 25 059 travelled down the branch to Minehead to collect the Duchess. According to a report in the WSRA Newsletter number 20 no less than three attempts were required to get up the bank to Washford!
On arrival at Taunton the Duchess was housed in the old lifting shop where her motion was taken down in preparation for her trip to Swindon Works on 17th March hauled by D1010 'Western Campaigner'. At Swindon she was restored to active service and the rest as they say is history. Currently the loco is on display at the National Railway Museum at York having been withdrawn from service in 1996. A feasibilty study is being undertaken to see if she could be restored to her streamlined appearance.
Thirty years on a number of the locos involved in the Butlins and Duchess saga are still with us. Diesel loco 25 059 is preserved on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. D1010 'Western Campaigner' is a proud resident of the DEPG base at Williton on the WSR. Terrier 32678 spent a time on the WSR and was resored to active use on the Kent and East Sussex Railway in 1999. She returned to WSR metals in 2004 and is pictured on the front cover of the latest WSR Journal. Sadly diesel loco 25 225 which starred on the exploratory run to Minehead in 1975 only lasted another 5 years and met her end at Swindon.
WSRA members who attended the AGM on 6th June 1975 were thanked by WSR Co Chairman Douglas Fear for their efforts in keeping the track in good order thus allowing the movement by rail of the Duchess. Later in the meeting they were treated to a showing of Graham Harwood's colour cine film of the movement of the Duchess to Taunton. I wonder where that film is today? It would make very interesting viewing.
As part of Britain's national heritage the Duchess has given so many people an enormous amount of pleasure on her many mainline excursions. The WSR deserves to feel proud of its role in saving this important locomotive. If the branch had not been available in 1975 it's likely that today we would only be able to see two surviving 'Duchess' class locos, 'City of Birmingham' and 'Duchess of Sutherland'.
Having had the pleasure of seeing 'Duchess of Hamilton' storm through Taunton bound for Plymouth and through Lazonby on the Settle and Carlisle I say "thanks WSR, give yourselves a pat on the back."
The Butlins locomotives
|
| | · |
Minehead LBSCR Terrier 32678 Knowle LMS Duchess 46229 Duchess of Hamilton
| | · |
Skegness LMS 6100 Royal Scot 30102 Granville
| | · |
Ayr LMS Duchess 46233 Duchess of Sutherland LBSCR Terrier 32662 Martello
| | · |
Pwllheli LMS 46023 Princess Margaret Rose LBSCR Terrier 32640 Newport
|
More details on www.butlinsmemories.com/locos.htm
|
|
|
|
| Thanks to Tim King for the above account and also providing pictures
|
| Click thumbnail for big pic...
|
All images are subject to copyright. Where it has not proved possible to establish copyright ownership, information is welcomed.
|
|
The Butlins Link...
